The second-ranking executive of the Oregon Corrections Department is threatening to sue the state, claiming criminal investigators and prison officials made false statements regarding his son's employment at the agency.

"These claims arise from the state's improper and illegal actions relating to allegations that Mr. Morrow abused his office by violating Oregon law in order to help his son Zachary Morrow," Souede wrote in the claim, dated last Thursday.

The state Justice Department twice investigated Morrow over the employment of his son at the Corrections Department. The first, a criminal investigation, concluded there was no evidence of a crime but questioned Morrow's role. The second, a civil investigation, pushed deeper into the employment circumstances.

The son was hired by Oregon Corrections Enterprises, a separate state agency that runs industries and work programs within state prisons. The son started work in Madras and was later transferred to a Salem job with higher pay and moving expenses. He subsequently left the prison industries to work directly for the Corrections Department.

Allegations that the son got favorable treatment came to light last year when Rob Killgore, then administrator of Oregon Corrections Enterprises, went to state officials with a catalog of what he described as financial and employment abuses. He maintained Corrections Department officials used the prison industries for financial favors and to provide jobs for Corrections Department employees. Killgore was subsequently fired in March.

In his claim, Morrow said Killgore's statements about the hiring of his son were "false and defamatory" and that the state Justice Department separately made false statements about Morrow by repeting Killgore's claims and "making independent false factual statements."

Morrow also cited two prison industries executives as sources of false statements to investigators about his son's employment. He said Kevin Alano, human resources manager at Oregon Corrections Enterprises, made a "flatly false" statement about prison industries' past practice. He said Nick Armenakis, former deputy administrator of prison industries, "falsely stated" that Morrow directed favoritism towards his son.

In his tort claim, Morrow names Oregon Corrections Enterprises, the state Justice Department and the three men he claims made the false statements – Killgore, Alano, and Armenakis.

Morrow, a career prison employee who climbed the ranks to run daily operations of Oregon's prisons, still faces one more investigation into circumstances of his son's hiring. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is conducting a preliminary review to determine whether Morrow broke any ethics laws.

He is the second state official to come after the state over this episode. Killgore has sued the state for $1.5 million, claiming he was wrongfully fired for whistle-blowing. That state case is pending.